HER MASK
by erin.korvin
Summary: One-shot. Post RE5. Chris runs into Jill while grocery shopping. Please R&R.


Chris' day off from work turned out to be fairly quiet and bright that early weekend morning. The sun was out, the grass was still wet from the morning dew, and cars were busy making their way to the local parks in their neighborhood. As he looked out the large windows on the other side of the shopping floor, he saw people catching up with friends and family over morning coffee, kids riding their bikes along the sidewalks, and couples with their pets during their morning runs. As he looked to the side, he saw a store worker open the front doors to let fresh air in, smiling and waving to various people coming in that knew him.

As he looked down at his half-filled cart, he counted off the number of sandwiches that he had, and decided to put one back on the shelf to grab a bag of chips instead. **_Maybe some steaks would be nice..._** He looked back outside, realizing that the sun would be out for most of that day. He decided to walk over to the deli to pick a few steaks up to grill later, before strolling over to a section of beers and grabbing two six packs and heading turning over to the next lane. He was looking forward to a quiet and relaxing week away from work.

Chris continued his shopping and walked lazily through aisle 8, arms draped over his shopping cart and pushing it slowly as he took his time looking through the different brands of cereal on display. He stopped in the middle of the aisle as the old woman stocking one of the shelves struggled to get a box on the very top one. He reached up and helped her by pushing the package neatly in front of the other ones for her, and got a thankful smile full of missing teeth in return.

He sighed and looked around, not finding anything that seemed appetizing, and decided to move on after a few minutes. Pushing his cart around the old woman's packaging cart, he started walking towards the checkout stand, and was about to get in line when he noticed her standing there in the middle of another line.

She didn't have much with her, save for a bottle of water in one hand and a purse that hung around her shoulder.

He stared at her through the other people in the crowd, disregarding the people walking around him to get past. It had been a while since he had last seen her. He blinked and stood there, motionless, not knowing whether to walk up and say something to her, or to keep his distance.

She was dressed for summer. His eyes wandered over her figure, starting at her feet, wearing high heel sandals that showed off her toes...

...and went up to the black skirt that accentuated long pearly legs

...up to the white tank top that hugged her figure nicely

...down to the thin bracelet she wore on her wrist

...up to her much browner hair pulled back into a ponytail

...up to her sunglasses resting on top of her head

...and back down to her fingers tapping gently on the bottle cap as she waited for the person in front of her to finish at the register.

She crossed her arms and looked off into the distance, almost emotionless while standing there. He caught a glimpse of her face as she turned to the left slightly and followed the curves of her lips with his eyes, imagining them fitting perfectly against his own. He studied the black eyeliner that perfectly traced her eyes that looked ahead into nothing, and tried to look past the emptiness that replaced what were once piercingly beautiful eyes.

Nonetheless, she looked pretty today. Jill always had.

She never made herself up much because she didn't need to, and for a moment, Chris wanted to strip her of her jewelry, her make-up, her clothes, and just hold her bare. He wanted to put a smile on her face again, to see her proud again, and to call her his partner again.

But in the meantime, he would have to wait.

The line moved up and she placed her water on the counter and took a card out of her purse. As she began to pay, Chris panicked slightly, deciding whether or not to speak up.

But just like that, she was gone, walking out the door and away from his sight.

He stared at the entrance for a few seconds, as more and more people began to make their way into the store, and the lines began to grow longer. He looked back down at his cart, letting out a deep breath and finally decided to get in line. He remained quiet to himself, not bothering to look up as Jill walked back in and up to the register as the cashier laughed and handed her back the card she had forgotten. Chris looked back up at hearing the familiar sound as he saw Jill return a small laugh to the cashier before thanking him and turning to go back out, when her eyes met his.

She slowed to a stop as she recognized his face in the crowd, looking at her through the various faces in the growing pack. He watched her for a second, before giving her a small comforting smile and waving hello. He would liked to have walked up to her to talk, to give her a hug, to know that she was doing alright, but he didn't.

Jill waived her hand clutching her keys in the air, waving back to him and giving him a reassuring smile. Their eyes lingered for a bit as people continued walking by them both. Chris opened his mouth to say something over the crowd, but hesitated and stood back down.

Jill saw and she knew, giving him another smile. She didn't need him to prove his love, or his loyalty, or even his friendship to her. She never questioned where his heart was, and knew that Chris would be there on the other end, waiting for her.

As Chris saw her smile widen, he saw the content in her face. She was assuring him that she would be okay, and he understood. As a comforting feeling of relief washed over his face, she looked at him as if she was leaving. He responded with a nod of his head, and watched as she turned back around and headed for the exit.

He looked out after her longingly, but found he didn't carry the same worries about her as he did before. He would give her her space, and all the time she needed. In time, she would come back and become the Jill that he had fallen in love with years ago. And when she did, he would be there waiting.

"**_See ya around Valentine_**" he whispered, as she walked out the door.


End file.
